6 Ways single moms celebrate Valentine's Day with their kids

Julie Sprankles is a freelance writer living in the storied city of Charleston, SC. When she isn't slinging sass for SheKnows, she enjoys watching campy SyFy creature features (Pirahnaconda, anyone?), trolling the internet for dance work...

Cuddling is a given

Single moms don’t need a man to make this February holiday a love fest. They've got their littles to snuggle up with! Looking for fun stuff to do with your kiddos? Check out these six ways single moms celebrate the day.

1

Have a bake fest

Your kids probably have a class party that could benefit from culinary skills, so toss on an apron, push a stool up to the table for your little ones and break out the cookie dough. Or cupcakes. Oh, or maybe brownies with a secret surprise inside. It's a tradition that can provide hours of fun and family bonding for the single mom and the biggest (little) loves of her life.

2

Get crafty

Pull out your safety scissors, construction paper and Elmer's glue, and get ready to go to town. You can choose something simple, like plain paper hearts out of construction paper or opt for something a little more elaborate like creating tissue paper flowers with pipe cleaner stems. Or why not make homemade Valentine's Day cards your kids can hand out to their classmates?

3

Make a special Valentine's Day meal

Decide whether you want to do breakfast, lunch or dinner, then get busy whipping up a heart-shaped feast for your family — with your family. Got a little girl? Get her to stir the pink pancake batter. Have your son help you mash the meatloaf into heart-shaped patties (obviously, just make sure he washes his hands well before and after). If your kids are anything like ours and think a holiday means fun food, serve pizza and call it a "slice of heaven."

4

Or go out to dinner

Let's be real — if you're a single mom, the thought of having someone else cook your celebratory Valentine's Day meal (and clean up after it) might just be a bit more appealing than tying on an apron and cooking up a storm. Happily, many restaurants have Valentine's Day specials. Also, if you call ahead, you might just find a restaurant where kids eat free. Now that makes our hearts flutter!

5

Bust out the board games

Nothing says clean family fun like crowding around a tiny table to play board games. Bring back a bit of your own youth with classic games like Twister, Life, Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders and Monopoly. If your kids are a little older, try Cranium or Apples to Apples — they are both big crowd pleasers.

6

Curl up for movie night

Who needs the theater when you've got a cozy couch, a big bowl of popcorn and your little buddies by your side? Wind down your night with a mini movie marathon filled with plenty of snuggles and kisses. We suggest Lady and the Tramp, Aladdin and A Charlie Brown Valentine: Be My Valentine. But, really, just about any Disney movie will do!